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One out of every four people over the age of 35 can expect to develop COPD, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in their lifetime, according to a large new Canadian study.

Though many people may be unaware of what COPD is, researchers say the risks of developing the disease are much higher than the risks of heart failure, or breast cancer or prostate cancer.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is a still relatively new term that includes both chronic bronchitis and emphysema; in fact, many people with COPD have both conditions.

Both diseases narrow the airways, causing shortness of breath and a long-lasting cough as well as mucus buildup. COPD is incurable and typically worsens with time.

Not everyone is at risk of COPD; and this study was not meant to assess any one person's individual risk of developing it.

But this is the first comprehensive study that aimed to estimate the lifetime risk for COPD over a large population to better help health care providers prepare for the burden of this disease.

Andrea Gershon from the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences in Toronto led a team who reviewed the health records of all Ontarians – a population of about 13 million people.

All those between 35 and 80 without COPD in 1996 were followed for up to 14 years, and during that time, almost 580,000 cases of COPD were diagnosed.

Overall, the estimated lifetime risk of developing physician-diagnosed COPD was 27.6 per cent, or about one in four.

The risk was higher in men than in women (29.7 per cent versus 25.6 per cent). Lower socioeconomic status and living in a rural area also increased the lifetime risk.

According to the results, which are published in The Lancet, the average 35-year-old women is more than three times as likely to get COPD than breast cancer during her lifetime. The average 35-year-old man is at more than three times greater risk of developing COPD than prostate cancer.

Yet, the disease does not receive the same funding, research, and profile as those diseases or other diseases, such as diabetes.

"These are diseases that receive that receive very widespread public recognition, awareness, fundraisers, walks for the cure -- all these things. And clearly, COPD, which has a comparable or greater burden, does not receive this much attention," Gershon told Â鶹ӰÊÓ

"And I think that is very unfortunate."

Respirologists like Dr. Roger Goldstein at Toronto's West Park Healthcare Centre who specialize in COPD, say they hope the study may finally give COPD its due.

"Hopefully, it will promote awareness and that it will translate into more resources for research and the people afflicted," he says.

COPD is projected to be the third most common cause of death worldwide by 2030. Already, it's one of the most costly chronic diseases to manage, because patients end up in hospital so often

Eileen Anderson has struggled with COPD for years. at the age of 64, she has already been in hospital 11 times because of the condition.

Anderson is not a smoker; her COPD was a caused by a rare genetic disorder called Alpha 1-antitrypsin deficiency, a condition in which the body doesn't make enough of a kep protein that protects the lungs.

Before beginning a unique exercise program at West Park, she spent all her time connected to an oxygen machine. She has to take deep breaths in order to speak and constantly feel tired.

"The health care costs (of this disease) are phenomenal. You become a burden to friends and family, and that's hard," she says.

Dr. Goldstein says COPD still suffers from a lack of awareness.

"It's not high on the radar screen, public are not aware of it, government isn't aware of it. Yet the impact in terms of health resources is substantial," he says

He says one of the reasons COPD gets ignored is that it has such a strong link to smoking and there's a stigma that sufferers brought the disease on themselves by choosing to smoke.

But there are other causes of the disease, including regular exposure to secondhand smoke, air pollution, and exposure to chemical fumes or dust from the workplace also can contribute to COPD. End even former smokers who quit years ago can still develop the condition.

The researcher say they hopes their study felps focus attention on the scope of the COPD problem

"Our novel findings draw attention to the huge burden of COPD on society and can be used to educate the public about the need for attention and resources to combat the disease…[and to] justify the continuation of smoking cessation programmes, and the development of other strategies to optimize COPD care to improve the lives of affected individuals, their families, and their communities," they write.

With a report from CTV's medical specialist Avis Favaro and producer Elizabeth St. Philip